The Freedom Force Fan Fiction!
by countless hoards

Page 1 2

quote:

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Meanwhile, Up at the celestial clock, Man-bot was viewing the whole chaos as it occurred, like any normal human, the barnasaurus repulsed him, and the victory because of minuteman made his heart sing, but there was just one problem. "Good grief, that captain cliffhanger gives the rest of us a bad name. Time to send him where he'll do no harm. Manbot opened a portal and sent Cliffhanger into a children's book named "fox in socks" After doing so, manbot wanted to know how Minuteman was doing in the mines. MM was begrudgingly working in the mines and hauling 8 tons a day. Even when the supertough beasts of burden gave up, Minuteman was still shoveling away. Lord Dominion began to seriously believe that a "breaking" of Minuteman would never happen without an emotional attachment. So the evil one aimed a ray that brought Liberty Lad up to the throne room. the resulting chaos in the pizza parlor was just as bad as when MM disappeared. Knowing what was going on, man-bot took a canister of energy-x and combined it with the power of timemaster. "Shake well before using" He said with a laugh/ Next, Manbot unlocked what he called a boomerang portal and threw the canister into it. When it came back it was powered-up. manbot had created Energy-Omega. He launched it down to the pizza parlor so it would mingle with both the air conditioner and the sprinkler system. Every hero there was affected. Their powers were mega-enhanced. Now Diablo could make anything he wanted out of fire to use as a weapon. Down at the newbie table, Frog,Salesman,Spiritcaller and Armada were only slightly affected. Now they could gain a strength boost just by looking at an american flag. Bullet separated into three beings of energy named Tachyon,Quantum,and mach-9. When they merged, omega-speed was born. many other side-effects would be noticed later but now the heroes couldn't think of that as they were being sucked through a portal and landing near the entrance to the mines. Man-bot sounded a telepathic warning to his friends. "Minuteman is within those mines, And liberty lad is in the throne room. recue them both, my old friends and new recruits."

---

ManBot laughed at the childish thought. He was outside of time now, and merely an observer to the past and future. A silent witness to the changes in the galaxy, unable to redirect the course of events as he still tried to control the energies flowing in his veins. He hadn't surged in... he wasn't sure how long, but it was a while, he knew that much, as if the power within him was becoming more responsive to him dictates. Strangely enough, he was beginning to understand the true power of energy-X more with each passing moment/day/year/century...

Time in the Celestial Clock was so relative, it was hard to say if he'd been there five minutes or a dozen lifetimes. His own internal clock had long since given up trying to cope.

Still, even if he could do nothing, he liked to keep watch over his friends. It reminded him he wasn't always alone.

------

In that far distant galaxy...

If there was ever a place in the galaxy that could be considered the ultimate resort, the Mines of Motax were the as far removed from it as you could get.

The climate was an exercise in extremes, scalding hot in the daytime under the double red suns, and arctic cold at night. Hardly anything grew here, save for the occasional scrub bush or brown cactus-like thing. The parched ground was spiderwebbed with cracks in all directions, creating the epitome of "barren wastelands".

Only a fool would voluntarily work in a place like this.

Minute Man wasn't a fool, which meant he was working very unvoluntarily.

He paused from the red sandstone he was chipping away at with a pickaxe to wipe his brow. His three-corner hat and walking staff were trophies of Lord Dominion now, no doubt hanging in the throne room in someplace you'd have to be blind not to notice. He could use both now, not that it would do him much good. He'd still have no way of escaping the alien world or contacting the rest of Freedom Force back on earth.

Well, Stiles, he thought to himself, here's a mess you never thought you'd be in.

Next to him, a large-headed alien faltered in the oppressive heat. Minute Man's quick reflexes steadied him before he fell.

"My thanks," said the alien, trying to gather his strength to stand. "Rare to find a kindness in this place."

Minute Man nodded. Normally, he'd have said something noble and patriotic, but at the moment, his throat was so dry it felt like it might crack if he spoke.

A low-pitched horn sounded, signaling a break. The two dropped their tools and rested against the rock wall in a small patch of shade.

"I've heard about you," said the alien. "You've been quite a thorn in Lord Dominion's side... oh don't worry. He doesn't like me either, otherwise I wouldn't be here."

"You know, it wasn't always like this," continued the alien sorrowfully, apparently glad to have someone who'd listen to him. "I heard that this place was once a paradise before they took over."

Minute Man frowned. "They?" he asked.

"The military caste," said the alien. "When General Dominion took over, he convinced all our warriors that the other castes were useless and meant to serve under their heel."

"They took over your government?"

"Yes. I was a young broodling back then, but I remember it well. Very ugly. Good thing it only took a few minutes."

"A few MINUTES?" Minute Man gaped. "Didn't you fight back?"

The alien gave him an odd look. "They were the military caste."

"So?"

"They had all the weapons."

"Oh," said Minute Man. He was about to give a rousing retelling of America's fight for independence against tyranny when the horn sounded, ending the break.

If he was going to get out of this mess, he was going to need a miracle.

--------

Patriot City

"We're going to need a miracle," said Man-O-War as the picked at the anchovy pizza in front of him in the temporary car council chamber of the nearby pizza parlor.

"Come now, sugar," said AlcheMiss, "We've beaten worse problems than this. Remember when Time master sent us back to the stone age? We got out of that."

"True, but we went along for the ride, so we knew exactly where Patriot City was. Minute Man... We have no idea where he might be. Plus there's that confounded robot looming out there tha' we'll need to take care of too."

The others nodded glumly (except for Armada who found the blinking jukebox more interesting than current events in general).

"I am afraid I have been unable to re-establish a mental link with Minute Man," said Mentor. "I fear the worse."

"Hey, Minute Man is a tough hombre," said El Diablo. "He can handle himself 'til we find him."

"The question is, how," said Spiritcaller.

There was a thoughtful silence, followed by a loud metallic crunch.

"Oops," said Armada, standing next to the caved-in top the music machine. "Uh.. how about I go out an take care of the robot?"

"Whatever you want to do, hon," said AlchemMiss.

Armada clapped his hands together gleefully. He liked smashing things and the robot was a very large thing.

"Guess that's one less problem we have to deal with," sighed Spiritcaller.

"Hopefully, lad." said Man-O-War. "Hopefully."

"I bet if Minute Man were on earth, I could track him," said Sheepdog sadly.

"But you heard what they said, he's probably not on earth," said Used Car Salesman. "He disappeared in one of that light thingee."

"Hmmm..." said the Ant. "Track..."

"What's on that little bug brain of yours, Ant boy?" asked AlcheMiss.

The Ant tapped his chin thoughtfully. "What if that energy we saw was a portal. It's highly possible we could use the residual energy signature of the source nexus to locate the portal's target nexus, and thereby-.

"English, PLEASE!"

Before the Ant could translate, he was interrupted by a cry from Mentor. The alien psychic was clutching his head in pain as something assaulted his brain like an explosion going off in all his synapses at once.

------------------
-Mea
a.k.a: Glitch Girl
"Flash, quit heckling the supervillain!" - John Stewart
Glitch Girl's Freedom Fortress
See my skins at Electric Freedom

Save for one. One mind that was immune to effects of mental attacks and illusion. One mind created rather than born, but nonetheless dedicated to freedom and Justice.

"Observation: Mentor's appearance is coincident with strange actions of Freedom Force. Conclusion: Mentor's mental abilities are affecting Freedom Force. Action: Disable Mentor unit. Minimum force required."

Microwave strode up to the writhing Mentatic Master and laid an android hand on either side of his futuristic skull. With the most delicate of control, he released a gentle surge of energy into Mentor's mind.

Mentor clutched at Microwave, gasped deeply, and rasped, "Thank... you... Microwave..." before collapsing into a merciful unconsciousness.

As Mentor fell, the heroes suddenly stopped and looked around. The Ant exclaimed, "Diablo! You're still here!"

"Me? Amigo, I've been here - but I thought I saw AlcheMiss turn into a monster..."

"A monster? Sugar, you may think you saw that, but-"

"Statement:", the Android of Tomorrow said, loudly enough to drown out everyone else. "Mentor's abilities were affecting the perceptions of Freedom Force. Mentor has been rendered unconscious. Perceptions have been returned to normal. Reminder: Ant had ideas on how to locate MinuteMan."

"Right. Spiritcaller, you said that MinuteMan is still alive. You met him briefly; could you track his spiritual energy?"

The Speaker to the Souls considered briefly. "I am uncertain. I don't know if the contact I made was sufficient to establish a link through a portal that you hypothesize."

"What if we got you closer to him?"

"It would likely be easier, but again - I do not know for certain how we can find the portal."

The Ant started pacing as he went through the steps. "Let's consider what we've seen so far. Someone has attacked Mentor. Someone launched an attack on Patriot City. And someone took MinuteMan through a portal. Does this sound like anyone we know?"

Order answered, "We know plenty of people who have a grudge against the Defender of Patriot City. TimeMaster used portals against us - could he be back again?"

"Nay, laddie," Man O'War answered. "He's out of commission for a long while - we've all seen th' reports from the End o' Time. But I'm thinkin' that there was another portal involved durin' that dust up... when Ant here called on the Dominion t' help us."

"Flyin' Fireballs! The Dominion!" Diablo burst. "They match all the facts! They've got one grande grudge against Mentor!"

Order added, "And more, they're a militarily organized group - so they would attack us by capturing our leader. So much more so by one who represents everything near and dear to us."

"Right!" the Insectoid Avenger answered. "So, we know who is the problem, but the question is, how can we track them? And I think I have the answer."

AlcheMiss answered, "Well, don't keep us in the dark, sugar. How are we gonna hunt down big blue?"

"We track him by the Energy X in his system," the Ant answered.

"But I was led to understand that Energy X is unique in every individual it affects?" Sheepdog asked.

Diablo jumped up and said, "No it isn't! We know of someone who was affected by Energy X the exact same way that El Patriota Azul was!"

Ant nodded. "Exactly right. Liberty Lad!"

To be continued...

Is it worth trying to end this story? I have a resolution in mind which I wouldn't mind posting, but I'd hate to step on anyone's toes who wants to continue playing in this playground.

So, if you have something you want to put in, please post it; if I don't see anyone else's response in two or three days, I'll likely jump the shark and just put my own ending on it.

So there.

Now back to the story in progress...
------

"Are you sure dis is dessesary?" asked the Sheepdog pointing to the odd device strapped to his snoot. He was nearly crosseyed as he peered at the blinking lights that didn't really seem to serve a purpose except look highly technical.

The Ant nodded. "Your olfactory nerves are far more sensitive than any equipment currently available to us, so by using them and Spiritcaller's abilities, we should be able to 'sniff' out Minute Man's location, literally." Though his face was hidden beneath his red and brown mask, the Ant was obviously beaming with pride.

"Bud are you sure id's safe? Dis is by DOSE we're dalking aboud here."

"Perfectly... Mostly... Trust me, you have nothing to worry about."

"Come on Sheepdog," snickered Used Car Salesman, "it doesn't look that silly."

"Shud up."

"Hold on, wait," Spiritcaller cut in. "Are you sure you want ME? This sounds more like something Mentor would be good at." It was a feeble excuse but frankly, the myriad of wires streaming out of the metal headband attached to his forehead were making him very nervous.

"Sorry Amigo," said El Diablo. "Mentor's still having a siesta. 'Sides, he's in no shape to do this, anyway. Looks like you're the only one we got."

"Once we manage to zero in on Minute Man's Energy-X signature, try to contact him," the Ant instructed. "If it's really him, we should be able to take the location information, make a portal, and bring him home, simple as that."

"Simple as that, huh?" said a skeptical Alche-Miss. "And how are you gonna' make this here portal, hmm?"

"With this," said the insectoid hero as he held up an alien-looking metal device. "Little souvenir of the Dominion's last visit."

"You know how to work that thing?"

"...Mostly. Uh, let me hook up Liberty Lad and then we can get started." the Ant finished quickly, trying to change the subject.

A blaze of light surounded The canine hero and the still protesting Spirt-Caller.

"Ow, dat hurts!" Sheep dog shouted as the sparks surounded his nose.

"I've got a fix, right here!" Ant shouted in triumph as he triggered the other worldly device. A portel shimmered into existance. The occupants at the other end gapped in surprise, then reached for weapons as a mechanical voice began shouting "Intruders, Intruders!" The portal had opened into a Dominon Storm trooper barracks.

"Ooops, calibration seems to be abit off," The ant offer.

"I told you I hab a bad feeling about dis." Sheep dog exclaimed.

"Okay, LL, I'm with you..." the Ant replied. In response, the All-American Kid flipped through the portal, right into the midst of twenty Dominion stormtroopers.

"Nick! Don't do it!" Sea Urchin cried, "You'll be killed!" The pretty girl launched herself forward, only to be caught up by her marine mentor.

"Lassie, he said for us to sit tight; he's got a plan an' we've got to trust 'im. Let's keep an even keel here."

Freedom Force watched in horror as the armed warriors turned on Liberty Lad. He looked around slowly, and suddenly asked, "Hey, did you hear who won the Dominion beauty contest? NO ONE!"

He feinted toward a warrior who looked particularly annoyed at the comment, but as an energy rifle fired, Liberty Lad dove out of the way... and the blast impacted on the armor of another storm trooper.

"Why do Dominion storm troopers wear name tags? So their families will know who to avoid having to bury!" Nick teased again, and several more of the Dominion burned at the harsh comment. Again, he was fired at, and again, he nimbly ducked every shot, which continued on into some other Dominion trooper.

Truth's Teen somersaulted and landed on the shoulders of one of the warriors. "Y'know how a Dominion trooper with no nose smells? HORRIBLE!"

The trooper swung his blast rifle at Liberty Lad - who dove off, letting the impact strike the trooper's own head, as four shots targeted the same fighter.

Sea Urchin turned to the Ant, and said, "Get ready! He's about to come back through!"

"Huh? But how can you-"

The Marine Mistress said loudly, "JUST GET READY!"

Sure enough, Liberty Lad was cartwheeling toward the portal. "Great seeing you goons, I'll be here all week!" As he rolled past, they continued to shoot and missed, enraged at the taunting and still hitting each other.

Nick rolled through the warp field and yelled "Now!" and the Ant quickly deactivated the portal, leaving only a visual transmission field open.

As Freedom Force watched, the enraged storm troopers blasted at each other, at the bunks, at anything. In a few short minutes, they had blasted each other into deep unconsciousness.

"That's the way to get them hot under the collar, amigo," El Diablo said to Liberty Lad. "That was muy bien."

"Thanks," Nick gasped. "Takes.. a little... out of me, though..."

Eve pulled a chair up and gently sat the youngster down. "Rest, young warrior. You have done well."

"An' now, Bug Boy," AlcheMiss said, "do you think you can get it right this time?"

The Ant busily consulted the controls in front of him. "According to this, I DID get it right! This should be opening up within a couple miles of MinuteMan!"

"A couple miles!" the Southern Belle replied. "That's a big piece o' ground, sugar!"

"Yeah, well, it's light years away," Ant said back. "It's not as if I missed by much, percentage wise."

"Y'all did fine," Bullet answered. "That's jus' a quick trot around fer me! I'll find him faster'n you can say 'Jack Robins-'"

"¡Mira!" Diablo said. "The scene is panning... it's moving outside of the barrack building!"

They stared intently at the burnt desolation. A glaring red sun occupied much of the sky, and its insidious molten glow made them wince with its brightness, while its low intensity light made it even more difficult to see. Parched, dead ground reached as far as they could see, and no life appeared on the planet.

"There... is nothing there to live," the Woodland Wonder said. "It is... all dead. It cannot support life. If MinuteMan is there, he needs our help badly."

"Got that right, Evey," Diablo answered. "Ant, you ready to open that portal again?"

"I am, but it's like the time portal the Dominion opened for us before; only four people can pass through at a time. I should stay here to work the controls..."

Instantly, a dozen voices rang out to volunteer. "Hold it, hold it," Diablo said. "Let's be smart about this! Who's best suited to stand that landscape out there?"

SpiritCaller answered, "I am immune to great heat and cold."

"Microwave unit is unaffected by excessive environmental conditions."

"Si, and I think it's not too hot out there for El Diablo," the Fiery Fury answered.

"Well, ah can't very well let you get yourself into trouble as well as leaving big blue there," AlcheMiss said. "I reckon you better count me in too."

"Bueno, bueno. Ant, once we pass through, recalibrate this thing if you can - see if you can find who kidnapped MinuteMan, and send a strike force through for them too."

"Got it, Diablo. Ready to go?" The quartet nodded, and with a sharp crackling sound, the energy tunnel opened again... leading to the prison of death on Motax!

To be continued...?

quote:

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Originally posted by Glitch_Girl:
hmmm... looks like you guys need a villain (plus I haven't decided if I'm going to use Glitch Girl or my ingame character Radia yet )

---

Well, G_G, now that i sent you a new story, the descision-making process is bunk, i did it for you.

Dry bits of flaked stone and sand crunched under their feet as the four heroes emerged from the portal onto the barren alien landscape, their lungs immediately assaulted by the scaldingly hot air that hinted at brimstone.

"Wasteland" couldn't begin to describe the landscape in front of our heroes; the land was raw red rock as far under a hazy dirt-colored sky as the eye could see without a hint of scrub, cactus, or animal life. To Spiritcaller, it felt as if all trace of life had been literally sucked out of everything around him, even the soil. Apparently he wasn't the only one who sensed this.

"By the Goddess," breathed Alche-Miss "this place is..." She shuddered at the sheer sense of "non-life".

"I'm going to have to have a long talk with my travel agent 'bout this one," El Diablo joked in an attempt to lighten the mood. "'Perfect place for a summer home', my foot."

^Sensors detect power emissions three hundred yards north east^ Microwave's emotionless monotone stated, indicating the direction of a nearby ridge.

"Any sign of Big Blue?" asked Alche-Miss.

Microwave paused as if in thought. ^Inconclusive.^

El Diablo rolled his eyes. "Inconclusive?" El Diablo rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me the Ant left us off at the wrong stop again!"

^Negative. Local energy emissions are interfering with sensor readings.^

"This place just keeps gettin' better and better," the southern sorceress sighed.

"No kidding," nodded Spiritcaller.

"I'll scout ahead," said El Diablo and took to the air, fire surging from his feet. The others followed below on the ground as the fiery hero studied the landscape ahead.

As he reached the top of the ridge, he stopped suddenly and stared.

"Madre de Dios," he gaped at the scene spread out in front of him as the others reached the top of the ledge.

In the valley below them was a mining camp so vast it made everything Cecil B. DeMille ever made look low budget. The valley (it was more of a crater now that they looked at it more carefully) stretched for miles and every square inch of it bustled with activity like a massive ant mound. Makeshift tents, gigantic mining machines, and oppressive watchtowers peppered the landscape around massive gashes caved into the planet's surface where literally thousands of workers slaved away under the cold watchful eyes of countless guards. Occasionally, a small air car would skim over the strip mining operation making sure that order was kept at all times before flying back towards the massive spiked obsidian stone edifice that loomed over the mining operation in the distance like a dark spirit of oppression. In fact, the overall image would have made a very impressive two page spread for a comic book, if you're into that kind of thing.

And somwhere down there, was Minute Man.

The four heroes stared at the massive mines. Even Microwave was starting to think their mission had just gotten a whole lot harder.

------------------
-Mea
a.k.a: Glitch Girl
"Flash, quit heckling the supervillain!" - John Stewart
Glitch Girl's Freedom Fortress
See my skins at Electric Freedom

Lord Dominion laughed, an evil, inhuman laugh that even his elite guards found disturbing. "So, the fools seek to rescue their leader. Such loyalty." Everything was going according to plan.

He turned to the nervious young technician beside him. "Has the X-Charge been placed properly?" asked the Emperor of Evil.

"Yes, Sire," replied the technician. "The blast should obliterate everything within 15 gwanks. The enitire mining camp will be destroyed. Including the guards."

"Oh, well, I can always get more guards... and there are plenty of other good locations for a mine. How far from the blast center are the foor Freedom Fools?"

"35 gwanks. They should be incapacitated, but not killed."

"Even the android?"

"Yes, the x-blast should interact with its circuitry, shutting it down."

"Excellent! When Mentor learns that his oldest Earth-friend is dead, and I hold these others hostage, he will suffer greatly." He laughed again.

"But, Sire, how will he know Minuteman is dead?"

"Oh, he'll know... ah, well, no time like the present. Goodbye, Minuteman..."

Lord Dominion moved his finger toward the button.

In a throne room in another galaxy

Lord Dominion's hand slowly dropped to push the button that would detonate the tremendous X-charge in the mining slave camp of Motax, thus destroying everything and everyone within 15 gwanks - including the MinuteMan!

Suddenly, a barrage of explosive spheres surrounded the leader of the Domain from behind, and he was thrown out of his throne. A bright girl's voice echoed, "Don't touch that dial, big baldy! The scintillating Sea Urchin is here to save the day!"

Out of the darkness behind the throne charged the Freedom Force squad sent to attack Lord Dominion. The Marine Master flew over the throne to douse the elite troopers of Lord Dominion's army with a blast of compressed water. "Here's a little present from Man O'War!" he cried as he blasted them back with high pressure gushes.

The guards outside the throne room burst in, weapons drawn, and started to aim for the heroes - but from behind the throne dove the savage Sheepdog, jaws gleaming in the eerie light of the alien chamber. He dove into the four guards, slamming them back down onto the ground. "Okay, I've got 'em set up for you!" he barked.

And a deep echoing voice rang out from behind the throne, where the portal had opened. "Your minds are open books to me..." A surge of telepathic energy flowed into the minds of the guards Sheepdog had just downed, as Mentor unleashed his power. In less than a minute, they were driven into deep sleep, and made completely harmless.

Lord Dominion staggered to his feet, as his remaining warriors gathered in front of him, where they had just been blasted by Man O'War. Drenched, they took up station behind him, weapons drawn. "Mentor!" the alien ruler said. "What a... pleasure to see you again. Oh, yes a definite pleasure. And such were never meant to last. Guards, fire!"

"Now that's not bein' a very friendly host," Man O'War said, and he signaled to Sea Urchin.

"Right," she continued. "You should at least bring gifts. See, we brought YOU something you'll get a charge out of!" And both of the Underwater Wonders issued forth electrical bolts, conducted wonderfully through the sopping wet guards' forms.

They thrashed in brief agony before a merciful unconsciousness enveloped them. "And now, Lord Dominion, let us see whose mind is superior!" Mentor declared.

"Mentor, you fool! I have never lost to you in a mental battle! Why would that change now?"

The Telepathic Titan answered, "You have never faced me in an even conflict, Dominion - but now you shall! Prepare for... Mind War!"

To be continued...

Mentor brought his hand up in a focused fighting stance. "We shall see."

At first, nothing seemed to happen as the two combatants stared each other down. Then, without warning a shockwave of force erupted outward, sending most of the furnishings and most of the onlookers tumbling. The unconscious bodies of the elite guards were thrown against the wall like so many rag dolls as the battle of wills clashed on epic levels.

Man-O-War remembered weathering a few storms during his days as a sea captain, and this reminded him of the worst of them except instead of feeling the wind in his face, there was just an overwhelming... force that buffeted against the thick scales of his skin as he held on to a stone pillar for extra support. While both Mentor and Lord Dominion showed signs of strain, neither of them had even flinched as the mental assault continued.

Suddenly, Man-O-War heard a high pitched squeal off to his left and managed to catch the tumbling Sea Urchin by the collar of her costume.

"Got ya' lass," he shouted as he pulled her our of the air.

"Thanks Man-O-War," she yelled over the fury around her as she got her footing again. "I- Hey, LOOK!"

She pointed up as one of Lord Dominion's many trophies was torn from the wall, specifically, one with two metal armbands, a tri-cornered hat, and a silver eagle-headed staff.

"I got 'em!" called Sheepdog. He bounded off the marble table he'd been holding on to and leaped into the air. He twisted mid-jump and managed to catch the hat in one hand, an armband in the other, the second armband in the hat, and having run out of hands, caught the staff in his teeth. The canine hero landed in a crouch near Sea Urchin and Man-O-War.

"Good catch lad," the old salt congratulated Sheepdog as he took the staff from the canine jaws and briefly wondered if Minute Man had an aversion to dog drool. "Now let's hope the others are havin' a bit more luck..."

------

Elsewhere...

"That's a whole lotta people down there," murmured El Diablo.

^Registering over three thousand separate life forms within scanning range,^ the cold monotone of Microwave intoned.

"Any of 'em our boy?" asked Alche-Miss.

^Negative. Subject Minute Man is not registering within scanning range.^

Spiritcaller frowned down at the expanse of mining below. "He's here though. Somewhere down there. I can... I can tell."

"Bueno! Which way do we go?"

The mystic shook his head. "Can't tell. It's too vague."

"Well, that was a big help," muttered Alche-Miss.

^Alert, incoming craft!"

"He's right," said El Diablo. "Look! We got trouble!"

To Be Continued...

AlcheMiss, Microwave, SpiritCaller, and El Diablo stared over thousands of slave workers at the Mines of Motax, a cracked and hideous landscape to make Earth's Death Valley seem a pleasant resort. And somewhere down among those dozens of species was one Earthman... the MinuteMan!

And to make their job just a little tougher, a flying platform carrying four armed guards suddenly rose over the crest of the ledge the heroes stood on. "Intruders! Surrender! This is your last chance!"

"Observation: this unit has not received first chance yet," Microwave replied.

"Amigo, I don't think they care. 'Caller, AlcheMiss, how about un poco teamwork here?"

The Southern Belle answered, "Good idea, fly boy!" and quickly cast a spell. A dark aura surrounded the hover platform as Diablo launched into the air. He circled around into a glimmering light form that SpiritCaller was bringing into existence... a form that strongly resembled Lord Dominion.

The Hispanic Heatwave soared into the image, and he roared, "How dare you assault ME?!?" As he bellowed, the aspect of AlcheMiss' spell triggered, and a wave of panic overtook the guards.

One of them stuttered, "B-b-but Lord Dominion, these s-s-slaves... they're... you're... h-how..."

"SILENCE!" the gigantic form shouted. "Do you not show obedience to your master? Dismount! Drop your weapons! Kneel to ME!"

The flying sled fairly slammed into the ground, and the four terrified guards flung themselves down before the misty figure. "F-forgive us, master! We not w- WUUNGH!"

Microwave had taken the opportunity to sneak up behind the guards and quickly knocked them unconscious while they were distracted by the spirit form. "Observation: guard units have been deactivated."

And in the valley below, every guard and every imprisoned worker had seen the gigantic form of Lord Dominion appear. The guards on duty began moving toward the image, not knowing what was going on, but slowly realizing that anything out of place was something wrong.

"All right," the Speaker of the Souls said, "now we have a least a little bit better chance to locate MinuteMan. Come on everyone - onto the flying platform."

"One li'l problem, sugar," AlcheMiss said. "How we gonna fly it? I don't know about you, but I'm not pilot."

"Microwave unit is capable of driving this. Please board, AlcheMiss, SpiritCaller." The Radioactive Ranger stepped to the controls and the trio lifted off, flanked by the airborne form of El Diablo. Behind them, the image of Lord Dominion still stood ummoving.

"Hey, ghost guy, how long will that thing hang around?" Diablo asked.

"The form will dissipate presently," SpiritCaller answered. "It's not quite a light switch that can be turned on or off."

"Just curious," Diablo answered. "'Cause I think it's got the interest of some of those folks down there."

As he pointed, the majority of the guard were running toward the cliff, along with a few in platforms rising up slowly toward them.

"By the Goddess!" AlcheMiss said. "How can we ever beat all of those guards?"

Diablo answered, "Hey, AlcheMiss, less cryin' and more scryin', eh?" Both SpiritCaller and AlcheMiss turned and stared at him, and he said, "Well, she keeps tellin' ME that, just thought she'd see how it sounds... ah, never mind."

"Analysis: we cannot defeat this many armed guards. Conclusion: Defeat is imminent. Corollary: Microwave unit will not cease fighting for Freedom Force until destruction."

"That's the spirit, Microwave!" AlcheMiss replied. "We may lose, but we'll go down fightin'!"

"Si," Diablo muttered quietly, "but the key part is that we still go down."

To be continued...

Elsewhere on Motax...

He'd been timing their rounds for the better part of the day. He knew he'd only have a a few minutes, but sometimes, a few minutes is all you need....

Minute Man threw down his pick.

"What are you doing?" the alien next to him whispered.

"Making a stand," said Minute Man. He jumped up on a pile of rock and said loudly "This is NOT RIGHT!!!"

Around him, mining tools paused as dozens of eyes turned to look at him.

Okay Frank, he thought to himself, here goes nothing...

"This place, this work, this this... slavery is not right! We are free peoples, yet we stand by as we are denied our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness! Can you tell me that this is RIGHT?"

There was a murmur through the crowd.

Minute Man continued "I say NO! On my world, there is a place where freedom is a way of life. A place that was born from the womb of liberty! We were not always free, we had to fight for it. We had to break the tyrannical hold of a ruler that sought to oppress us! Tell me, would they have been free if they sat idly by under the crushing heel of the British?"

"What's a British?" asked someone in the crowd.

Minute Man ignored him "Once again, I say NO! There are things worth fighting for! Freedom! Justice! A great man from my world once said 'Give me liberty or give me death!"

"Are those the only choices?" another voice in the crowd asked, though Minute Man noticed he was quickly hushed by those around him.

"I say now is the time to rise up and throw off the bonds of our oppressors!" shouted Minute Man, feeling an almost palpable energy around him as he rallied the troops, "Now is the time to fight! For yourselves. For your children! FOR YOUR FREEDOM!!"

"YES!" shouted one of the alien slaves. "Workers of the world, UNITE!!"

Minute Man winced slightly, but under the circumstances, it was as good a battle cry as any. With a roar, the alien workers all around him were grabbing up whatever they could find to use as a weapon and began their charge.

--------

Meanwhile still...

"You have grown stronger since our last meeting, Mentor," said Lord Dominion, his forehead bulging with veins as he continued his mental assault against the alien hero. "But you are still weak."

"Then why do I sense fear in you Lord Dominion?" Mentor countered. He too was showing signs of strain. Neither of them looked as bad as the rest of the throne room which looked like it had a small tornado inside it. Most of the furniture had been smashed by now, and the once rich tapestries of the eye and claw Dominion insignia were barely rags.

Anchoring themselves as best they could against the fallout of the mental war, Sheepdog, Man-O-War, and Sea Urchin watched in amazement and a little bit of trepidation.

"How long do you think they can keep this up Man-O-War?" asked Sea Urchin.

"No idea lassie," yelled the old salt over the noise. "Hopefully not much longer."

"Can you tell who's winning?" shouted Sheepdog.

"No, canna tell a thing from here!"

"Wish there was something WE could do."

------------------
-Mea
a.k.a: Glitch Girl
"Flash, quit heckling the supervillain!" - John Stewart
Glitch Girl's Freedom Fortress
See my skins at Electric Freedom

Freedom Force Smilies!

He stared at the twin images, one showing Minuteman with the Liberation Battalion, the other showing him inspiring the workers. How had this happened?

Afeter some searching, he found his answer. Something was stuck in the intertemporal flux, damaging the timeline.

Well, not someTHING as much as someONE.

"Captain Cliffhanger," muttered ManBot. Now, how in the3 Multiverse did he get THERE?!?"

Clearly, it was no accident. Someone had manipulated the would-be hero's powers in a purposeful attempt to splinter the timeline.

This was bad.

A sudden crashing sound brought the pre-modern man to his feet and a club, a chunk of jagged granite lashed to one end, to his hand. Down the hill, a 1986 Corvette rolled to a stop, white smoke rolling from under the hood. A head popped out of the driver's window.

"Excuse me, is there a service station around here, somewhere?"

FLASH TO:
Virginia, 1779. A group of redcoats is overwhelmed by the colonial militia, now aided by rumbling wagons of steel with musket cannons twice the length of a man.

FLASH TO:
Patriot City, 1962. Used Car Salesman can only watch in awe as the group of cattle rustlers ride their harried horses down Liberty Avenue. Whooping, hollering and firing their six guns into the air. His jaw drops slightly as they make a right turn on 12th street.

"My god, something has gone wrong with time itself!!"

to be continued...

"I am doing it! I have actually reversed time!" the metal-encased marvel thought to himself. "Now, to put things back where they belong."

He watched as both time streams came closer to one another. It was working, it was actually working...until...

Man-Bot gasped in astonishment as he realized what was happening. The streams weren't just reversing, they were MERGING! Events that had sprung into existence in one time stream were being forced together with events that occurred in the other time stream.

Man-Bot watched as the streams came closer and closer together. Now he could see no sign of the chronal-anomolies that had sprung up. What he saw was the scenes of the first time line split. Man-Bot adjusted and slowed the rate at which time ran backwards so he could see just what was happening. He did not know what the consequences might be if he attempted to reverse time back before the split, but something in the back of his mind told him that it would be bad. Very bad.

Man-bot watched as he recognized the scenes. Minute Man was giving the eulogy for the fallen King. In the other time-line, Minute Man was standing proud on top of a large mass of rock, obviously at the end of his speech as the crowd before him was writhing with excitement.

"All most there..." Man-Bot said to himself. "I only get one shot at this. It has to be perfect."

Man-Bot watched the reverse carnage of the explosion collapsing in upon itself, and he watched as Minute Man climbed upon his makeshift pedestal.

Man-Bot slowed the reversal of time as he watched the guards pouring out of the mine. "Now!" He screamed aloud, as if there were someone to hear him. The reversal of time stopped. And again, time itself, for one brief instant had stopped. "Did I go back far enough?" "Did I go back too far?" "Will this even work at all??" All these thoughts bolted through the mind of Man-Bot in that one brief instant.

Then, just as suddenly as it had stopped, the time line started moving again. Man-Bot watched intently for any sign of splitting. His heart soared as he saw that the time line was held intact.

"YES!!!" he shouted in victory. His heart soared with his truimph. But it was short-lived. His heart plummeted as he instinctively looked around and realized that he was still, as he had been for what seemed like eons,utterly...totally....completely....alone.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Where are they going?" Minute Man wondered as he saw hundreds of guards running, weapons in hand, toward one end of the mines. "Something on that ridge has sure gotten their attention. Now is my chance!"

"What are you talking about? Chance for what? What are you doing?" asked the alien he had been working beside of since he arrived.

"Making a stand," said Minute Man as he climbed up on a pile of rock. Once on top, he loudly proclaimed, "This is NOT RIGHT!!!"

Minute Man knew that with the guards distracted, he should be able to speak without opposition. Now, whether or not the workers would listen, that was another matter.

As he spoke, he could tell that he was beginning to win over the crowd.

"Once again, I say NO! There are things worth fighting for! Freedom! Justice! A great man from my world once said 'Give me liberty or give me death!"

As he glanced at the faces in the crowd, he recognized his companion and noticed a smile upon his face. Yes, he was reaching them.

"I say now is the time to rise up and throw off the bonds of our oppressors! Now is the time to fight! For yourselves! For your children! FOR YOUR FREEDOM!!"

He was astonished to see his companion shout aloud "The Earth Man is right! We have been under Dominion's rule for too long!! You followed me once, follow me again, my people! The time has come to END THIS!!"

The crowd of workers erupted into a deafening roar of individual shouts. Thousands of voices, all lending their strength to one, making it an unstoppable force in and of itself.

The workers grabbed their picks and hammers and any other piece of equipment that could be used as a weapon and surged toward the guards in the distance. As Minute Man climbed from his pedestal, his companion handed him a hammer.

"What did you mean when you said 'You followed me once...'?" Minute Man asked.

"I was the ruler of this Empire before Dominion. After he took the throne by force, he banished me here with all of those loyal to me", said his companion. "Now, let us finish this"

El Diablo hovered around the flying platform carrying AlcheMiss, Microwave, and SpiritCaller as the body of guards that had been watching over the slaves of Moltax rushed toward them. "Ay, now we're in for it."

AlcheMiss said, "Diablo, less cryin'-"

"Si, si, I know."

Microwave turned from the controls of the flying platform and announced, "Statement: MinuteMan has been detected."

"WHERE?" the other three shouted.

"Observe: enslaved are rushing after the guards. MinuteMan is sensed in that mass. Theory: If enslaved are attacking for their freedom, MinuteMan will be leading them."

SpiritCaller replied, "He's right! I can see him with my inner sight! He is indeed in the fore!"

Diablo circled for a moment, silent. "All right, then, we need to create a diversion for him. You three head off that way," pointing toward the left, "and make a ruckus. I'm going this way and see if I can get their atencion..."

"Be careful, fly-boy," AlcheMiss said.

"Always, bonita, and you watch out too!" Diablo blazed off in the opposite direction of the flying platform.

On the ground, the slaves charged after the guards who were still approaching the heroes of Freedom Force as well as the gigantic apparition of Lord Dominion that SpiritCaller had manifested.

In the fore, as predicted, was the Patriotic Paladin, leading his fellow captives. However, he came to an abrupt stop when a large portal appeared in front of him and a body popped out, lunging at him.

"No you don't!" MinuteMan cried, and he grabbed the figure and swinging him to the ground. "I've got you right by the... fur?"

Sheepdog smiled up and said, "Hi MinuteMan! Good to see you in high spirits!"

"By Lincoln's beard, what are you doing here?" MinuteMan asked, helping the White-furred Wonder to his feet.

"Sweating profusely... but Mentor is battling Lord Dominion right now, and Man O'War and Urchin couldn't stand the temperatures on this plain. Come t'think, it's REALLY hot, isn't it?" he panted heavily.

"Then why on Earth did you come?"

Sheepdog handed a sack over. "You'll... need... these... gotta get back..." he gasped. "Help me... back through... portal..."

MinuteMan lifted the Canine Crusader and hurried back to the open portal. On the other side, Man O'War was standing at a console, and Sea Urchin was waving frantically at Freedom's Champion.

"C'mon, MinuteMan! We can all get home!"

As gently as he could manage, he tossed Sheepdog through the opening. "I can't, Sea Urchin. I've got some business to tend to right now... for freedom!"

He opened the sack and found his tricorner hat, his gauntlets of Vigilance, and Patriot, his mighty staff. He quickly donned his gear, and again charged to the front of the onrushing horde.

In the air over the cliff, the flying platform was circling and dodging incoming fire. AlcheMiss cried, "Microwave! How long can you keep dodgin' them?"

"Likelihood of continued evasion - 62%. Assistance from AlcheMiss and SpiritCaller will increase this percentage."

"Then let's just give 'em a little assistance, Spirit honey!" AlcheMiss leaned over the side and intoned the name of the Goddess again. In return, blasts of wind guttered around and through the oncoming guards, slowing and even stopping them, as a considerable number were flung directly up into the air.

SpiritCaller concentrated, and focused on those who had worked in this valley, and who had died... and spoke with those souls... and they returned. They came forth, shimmering astral forms, and they circled around the guards, accusing, demanding, assailing. Although not possessed of physical form, and incapable of doing any real damage, the mental torment took its toll. The guards in the front began swinging and firing randomly, trying to attack the spectres in their minds.

"Whew!" AlcheMiss whistled. "Remind me never t'get YOU riled, sugar!"

SpiritCaller answered, "You are now and forever safe from my power, AlcheMiss. Only the evil have aught to fear."

Far away, Diablo was launching fire bombs into the air, causing a chaos and frenzy. "What's wrong, amigos, you don't like fireworks? I thought everyone liked fireworks- WHOA!"

A blast from an energy rifle sizzled through the air in front of Diablo, nearly skewering him. The Hispanic Hotshot swung around and under an overhang of the bluff they had been on. "Now, now, you shouldn't play with fire.. leave that to the experts!" He called upon the inner power and released an explosive gout of flame at the ground just in front of his attacker. "And now, it's time-"

A strange voice under him interrupted, "Now it's time for you to fall, human!" A mental surge enveloped Diablo's flying form, and when it dissipated, it took his consciousness with it. The flaming body thudded on the ground, completely extinguished.

"Foolish humans. We shall conquer, and you shall ALL be our slaves!"
--------------------------------

The diversionary tactics seemed to have worked; while the guards were attempting to return fire to the airborne heroes, the former slaves had caught up with their taskmasters, and their fight for freedom began.

MinuteMan had seen Diablo fall, and was rushing toward that spot. "Have to contact the others!" he said, and he raised his staff into the air.

A burst of red, white, and blue lights shot forth like a patriotic spotlight as MinuteMan got to the spot that Diablo had fallen. "This unit has observed MinuteMan", Microwave said. "Directing platform to his position." They saw the light display. They didn't see the form slowly approaching MinuteMan from his rear.

As the trio of heroes circled around and came down to that spot, they saw Diablo and MinuteMan waiting quiescently. AlcheMiss jumped off the platform and began running toward them. "I thought you boys were out o' the game!"

SpiritCaller sensed something not quite right... a bitter sensation that he would have called a smell were it olfactory. "AlcheMiss, I suggest caution..."

"Oh, don't be silly! They're jus- EEEK!" She screamed as MinuteMan, seemingly rapt, grabbed her and lifted her, preventing her from the gestures she required to activate her hexes.

"Did you like my purple pet?" a voice hissed softly from the shadows beneath the overhang. "That fool O'Connor was oh so willing to help us to get his petty revenge. Lord Dominion was overconfident, certain that it would succeed. But I knew better."

A dominion figure stepped forward. "I knew that you would defeat it. And I knew that once I arranged the kidnapping of your leader, you would find a way to come after him. Turn her toward me, Minute slave."

Slowly, Frank Stiles rotated, and a hand brushed against AlcheMiss forehead. A nearly invisible spark passed between flesh, and he continued, "Let her down. She is one of you, now. Just like my pet did... but you will NEVER escape its hold now." He stepped forward into the light as AlcheMiss was set down, in the same blank trance that gripped MinuteMan and Diablo.

"Subject attacker is Praetor, SpiritCaller. He is chief assistant to Lord Dominion-"

"NO! Not any longer, robot!" Praetor shouted back. "Lord Dominion has foolishly engaged in battle with the Mentor, in mindwar. Whichever survives will be unable to defend himself from my mental attack coming so soon after! I shall take your allies in Lord Dominion's royal chamber next, and then we shall return to Earth... to the conquest that has always eluded us! I shall be lord! LORD PRAETOR SHALL RULE!" he screamed.

He turned back to the two heroes. "But neither of you are suitable for my needs. I cannot control the robot, and you, ghost talker, are too much trouble; I must needs save my mental prowess to battle whoever wins the mindwar. Thus, you are both expendable. Slaves... kill these two."

Slowly, AlcheMiss, MinuteMan, and Diablo began to approach their teammates. "This unit cannot attack members of Freedom Force, SpiritCaller."

"And I cannot stop all three of them... we are doomed, Microwave."

To be continued...

------------------
Eric L. Sofer
The Silver Age Fogey
x<]:-){
"WWMMD?"

Lord Dominion hadn't even looked at the stranger as he backhanded him across the ruined throne room. He was still far too focused on his battle of wills with Mentor to do anything more, which SouperIan would have been thankful for if he weren't flying through the air. He hit the far wall and then scrambled madly for something to hold onto in teh midst of the mental maelstrom.

Getting smacked across the room had done wonders for clearing the newly arrived hero's head, and he quickly tried to get his bearings. He was in a huge once-ornate room of some kind that was in a complete shambles due to the storm-like forces battering against each other from opposite sides. On one side was a very alien looking alien he thought might be Lord Dominion, the other was Mentor, someone at least he could recognize. The two appeared nearly oblivious to everything except each other, their faces contorted in intense concentration and strain.

SouperIan decided that now would be a very bad time to interrupt.

"You are weakening," said Lord Dominion through clenched teeth. "I can feel your defenses starting to fall."

"Your powers... are waning too, Lord Dominion," Mentor countered.

"I'm surprised you have lasted this long, old teacher. It won't be for much more."

"Perhaps..."

"Perhaps?" snarled the alien despot. "I am THE power of the Dominion! I am the ravager of worlds, the enslaver of systems! I have power that past rulers couldn't DREAM of!" Each point he made he punctuated with an additional surge of mental energy.

"Possibly," Mentor replied, his body starting to sag against the relentless assault, yet his eyes never wavered from his foe. "but you will still lose."

"How can I lose, fool!"

"Because you lack purpose," said Mentor, "You lack a reason for your fight!"

"My reason to fight is to see a traitor like you FALL!"

"A selfish reason, Lord Dominion. My reason is far different. My reason to fight is the millions of people on the planet Earth... the billions you've already enslaved and destroyed... and the one you have taken to this Shakar-forsaken world. Minute Man, the one I call my friend!"

As he said this, an invisible sphere of power grew around him, so powerful it seemed to blur the very air. It rumbling outward like a juggernaut, a wave of flying debris and crumbling floor marking its passage as it surged forward. For the first time sine the battle began, there was fear in Lord Dominion eyes a split second before the rolling wave of force breeching his mental shields and defenses as it crashed into him, hurling him through what was left the marble throne and smashed him against the far wall.

The sudden silence that followed was almost deafening; only the dull thud of Lord Dominions unconscious body sliding to the floor, the crinkling sound of settling debris, and the raged breathing of the hero known as Mentor as he tried to catch his breath.

The throne room looked like a bomb had hit it, which, in a way, it had.

SouperIan cautiously peered out from behind the cover of a mostly intact pillar. "Mentor? Wow that was... Mentor!"

The alien hero had dropped weakly to his knees.

SouperIan rushed over to his side. "Mentor, are you okay?" he asked.

"I... am fine, young man," said Mentor, though he didn't seem quite aware of where he was at the moment. "So weak.... Such displays are... very costly... We....we must leave here... at once..."

His eyes closed and he collapsed completely.

------------------
-Mea
a.k.a: Glitch Girl
"Flash, quit heckling the supervillain!" - John Stewart
Glitch Girl's Freedom Fortress
See my skins at Electric Freedom

Praetor suddenly threw his head back and roared laughter. Without his direct guidance, the mesmerized members of the Freedom Force no longer acted to destroy their friends and teammates. They merely stood still as mocking laughs echoed through the ravine.

"HE HAS LOST! Lord Dominion has lost his battle with the Mentor! I can feel his mind... I can feel both their minds! Mentor is barely more capable of movement than Lord Dominion! 'Mindwar'! A foolish way to achieve victory! As if all that power went to any purpose besides personal glory!

"For all his claims to mental superiority, for all his telepathic skill, he has still fallen! I shall triumph!" He turned with a look of insane glee on his face to Microwave and SpiritCaller.

"Beg me. Plead with me. Throw yourselves on your knees before me, cry for your lives, and perhaps I shall spare you! Call upon Lord Praetor for mercy, and I might just grant it!" Again a shriek of laughter echoed.

The Speaker to the Souls waited patiently for the Domainian to stop, and finally answered, "I am unused to begging, Praetor."

"LORD PRAETOR!"

He yawned contemptuously. "As you say. In any event, I believe I shall not ask for anything from one as small and contemptible as you."

Microwave added, "This unit is incapable of begging for mercy. Corollary: Were it possible, this unit would not ask that which cannot be given... from one unable to give it."

"Then you shall die! At the hands of your friends!" Again, the mental captives slowly approached the two heroes.

Softly, Microwave spoke to SpiritCaller. "Observe Diablo unit. Observe physical actions."

"I'm not sure what you're saying..."

"Diablo's powers are occasionally unstable. Unit's powers can be overwhelming. Microwave unit has observed this to be the case when Diablo unit appears as he does now."

SpiritCaller whispered, "So he's going to make a BIG bang?"

"Affirmative."

"Will it take Praetor too?"

"Magnitude of such force will destroy a radius of approximately one half mile."

SpiritCaller whistled. "That's a lot of collateral damage... but if it takes out Praetor..."

"As it will incinerate MinuteMan and AlcheMiss."

"Are you two actually going to try to do something?" Praetor asked. "How pathetic! What can you do against the power I now wield! FOOLS!"

"Just making our goodbyes, alien," SpiritCaller replied. "We still aren't going to beg."

"Yes, yes, I see, I see, and how sweet that makes my victory!" he tittered. "But just to be sure that you don't try a double cross..." He fingered the belt he was wearing.

Suddenly, a polyhedric force field surrounded Praetor. "This aura will stop any type of energy - just in case you thought you would do something foolish!"

"Uh oh..." SpiritCaller said.

"NOW KILL THEM ALL!" Praetor shrieked.

AlcheMiss' hands began to glow, as MinuteMan charged up his staff. And Diablo began to flame like a gasoline fire.

When there was a sudden, annoying POP of an explosion that sounded above, and clinging to the edge of the bluff just above their heads was a figure desperately hanging on...

...and failing. The man fell with a loud thud, straight on top of Praetor.

As he hit, stunning Praetor, SpiritCaller chose that moment to dive forward, gripping both sides of Praetor's stunned head. "Now you are bound, you feel the spirits of your slaves, your opponents, they grip your limbs, they bind you, they hold you tight."

Praetor fell back, arms and legs rigid at his side. And the three Freedom Forcers slowly regained their senses.

"¡Dios mio!" Diablo cried. "Stay back, everyone!" He leapt skyward, flying as fast as possible. Far above his friends, he finally released the burst that had been swelling inside him as a bomb.

The gouting explosion of fire didn't harm the Master of Flames, but it burst above the heads of the battling guards and slaves. The guards were startled by the sudden attack - but their former captives were inured to such distractions, as months in the Mines of Moltax were said to do to one.

The battle ended quickly. Enraged prisoners suddenly freed, distracted wardens - it was not a contest as much as a massacre.

Under the bluff, the four heroes knelt over the fallen man who had defeated Praetor. MinuteMan said, "Son? Son, can you hear me?"

"Uh... I, I think so. Um, what happened?"

"You'll have to tell us. You fell out of the sky and stopped this madman."

SpiritCaller added, "You have also saved our lives, and those of many others. We owe you our deepest thanks."

"Oh... no prob... probl... it's okay," he muttered.

"But where are you from?" MinuteMan asked. "You just came out of nowhere!"

"Nah... not nowhere... from above you... I slipped... off... that cliff." And Captain Cliffhanger fell unconscious.

To be continued...?

Silence.

That was what Sheepdog heard. Dead silence. Not even with his over-active sense of hearing could he hear anything coming from the throne room. That scared him. Was it over? If so, who had won?

Then he did hear something. And by the looks of Sea Urchin and Man-o-War's faces, they heard it too.

"Mentor!" a strange, unfamiliar voice cried, full of anxiety and fear.

All three of them rushed from the portal control room toward the throne room without a word.

"MENTOR!!!!" Sea Urchin screamed as she saw the unconscious form of the Mighty Master of Minds. "Help him Man-o-War! What's wrong with him?"

Man-o-War rushed to his fallen friend's side and did his best to look him over. When you were the captain of a ship that might be away from port for weeks, even months, at a time, you tended to become part doctor as well. As he examined his friend, Man-o-War immediately recognized the symptoms.

"Exhaustion, lass. Complete mental and physical exhaustion. The severity of which I ha'e ne'er seen in all my years on the seas."

Sea Urchin looked releived and said "So he will be fine, right? All he needs is rest?"

Man-o-War gravely looked up at her and shook his head. "I'm afraid its much worse than that, wee one. He's slipped into a coma. Unless he gets immediate medical attention, he could die. And seein' as how noone on this planet will help him, and seein' as how I doubt any doctors on our planet know how to help him, his only chance is for us to get him to our medical equipment at the Freedom Fortress. And the sooner, the better."

Sheepdog slowly stooped and gently picked up Mentor, and they all turned to leave.

"Yes. You must get him back to save his life. Too bad you will never get the chance!" hissed Praetor as he stepped into the room.

"And who's going to stop us?" asked Sea Urchin. "You? You seem to have forgotten that we whipped your butt once already back on Earth."

"Yes, little one. You did. But this time I have brought along a few friends", smirked the Praetor.

Just then Minute Man slowly entered the room carrying the prone form of Microwave over one shoulder as if he were a sack of potatoes. Instead of smiling to his team members, he slowly walked over behind Praetor and stood, submissively. Next entered El Diablo, who was carrying SpiritCaller, though with more difficulty than Minute Man, and finally Alchemiss. They both took up positions behind the Praetor in the same fashion as Minute Man had.

Praetor's smile widened sickeningly as his pointed teeth gleemed eerily in the light from the throne room. "As you can see, your leader is completely under my control, as you all soon will be! Hahahahaha!! Bring me the traitor they call Mentor so I can end his miserable existence!!"

The three slaves dropped the bodies they were carrying and slowly began to move toward Sheepdog.

"Get him out of here Sheepdog!" cried Man-o-War. "We must protect him at all costs!" Sheepdog quickly retreated as Man-o-War and Sea Urchin stood side-by-side ready to defend their friend with their very lives.

As he backed away carrying the unconscious mentalist, Sheepdog froze in fear as a voice behind him bellowed, "Praetor, you snivelling coward!"

Sheepdog slowly turned, expecting to see Lord Dominion in full fury. Instead, he saw someone new, someone who looked much older, someone who looked....dirty.

"Lord Atvar!" Praetor screeched. "NO!! It can't be!!"

The usurped King strode forward. "Yet, here I am. Your delusions of grandeur are finished, coward. You are no match for my mental abilities, lackey. You will release the Earthlings!"

Praetor, literally seething with fury, screamed, "NEVER! SLAVES ATTACK!! KILL THEM ALL!!!"

[This message has been edited by Raptor (edited 06-25-2002).]

``````````````````

Cut to victoria falls. A lone figure hangs by one finger from the cliff above a family of crocodiles. As his last finger slips, Captain Cliffhanger asks to noone in particular "Why meeeeeeeee?"

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